Sony has revealed that the next PlayStation will use an AMD processor and graphics chip, will feature ray-tracing, will have an optical drive and will be backwards-compatible with PlayStation 4 games.

Speaking to Wired, the next-generation PlayStation’s system architect Mark Cerny (who declined to officially name the console as the PlayStation 5) also said that its storage will be provided by an SSD and that it won’t be released until at least 2020.

Cerny added: “The current PSVR headset is compatible with the new console,” suggesting that Sony is also working on a next-generation PSVR, and confirmed that the console will support 8K-resolution output. Its CPU will be a third-generation, eight-core AMD Ryzen chip, and its GPU will be handled by a custom Radeon Navi-family chip. Cerny was also keen to point out that the console will have built-in 3D audio.

Meanwhile, rumours persist that Microsoft will unveil its next-generation console, codenamed Scarlett, at this year’s E3 Show in June. French website JeuxVideo claims to have inside information to that effect, and given that Sony is skipping this year’s E3 for the first time ever, Microsoft will have the stage to itself and will enjoy perfect conditions for making the splashiest possible announcement.

Despite Cerny’s comments to Wired, Sony still hasn’t officially unveiled its next-generation PlayStation, although we can reasonably expect it to do so pretty soon. In the meantime, keep an eye on the company’s official website.

Steve Boxer has been writing about videogames since the early 1990s. His first console was an Atari VCS, and he misspent most of his youth in the 1980s in the arcades. As well as for Green Man Gaming, he can be found writing for The Guardian, Empire, TechRadar and Pocket-Lint. He’s currently having trouble deciding whether his favourite console is his Xbox One X or his Switch, and plays a wide range of games, but especially RPGs (he loves a good JRPG) action-adventure titles, shooters of all descriptions and driving games. Follow him here.